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“They painted the word ‘bitch’ all over her car. This isn’t about Gwendolyn. It’s about me. Anyone who’s ever met Gwen would never call her that. It doesn’t fit.”
“That makes this a lot more complicated. Now we’re looking at a much longer list of suspects. We’re talking about anyone you’ve ever arrested.” Dad gets where I’m going. Damian was right to remind me that it could be anyone, and we need a lead.
THIRTEEN
Not the End of the World
GWENDOLYN
It’s nearly closing time when Jasmine comes down the aisle, Zeke following closely by her side with a hand on her back. The last time we met, I found out that Jasmine is a schoolteacher. When she talks about her class and the kids, it’s apparent that she loves her job. We got into a great conversation about books that we both loved and then moved on to how to motivate kids to want to read more.
“Hi, Jaz, Zeke. What are you guys doing here?” I ask as they near the counter.
“Caleb asked me to pick you up. He’s got stuck at the precinct and didn’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary. Jazzy found out I was coming and wanted to tag along,” Zeke says, looking adoringly down on his fiancée.
“I love this place. We have the school library, but I love to bring the kids here. I think they’d be in awe of how big this place is,” Jaz says, looking around at all the shelves, and glancing up to the second level, where we’ve set up a space for adults, with comfy chairs where they can sit and enjoy the afternoon with a book.
“We can set that up,” I say enthusiastically. “We can do a whole theme afternoon. We can incorporate whatever you like, and we’ll find a ton of books that fit the theme. We can do a tour and teach them how to find their own books. We’ll have a special story time, with the kids acting out the parts and everything. We even have a cafeteria where we can make hot chocolate and have cookies for snacks.”
“Wow! They would love that.” Jaz gets as excited as me, and Zeke looks between the two of us, smirking and shaking his head.
“Maybe you two can continue this chat in the car. Caleb’s going to meet us at his place. The others are meeting us there,” Zeke says.
“Are we having a party?” I joke.
Jasmine jumps in. “You’ll soon learn that when the guys are on a mission, they work all hours. So since they plan on working, we girls decided that we can have dinner together and while the guys do their thing, we’ll watch a movie.”
“Sounds like a great idea. If you can give me ten more minutes, I have to shut down the computers, do a walk-through, and shut off the lights.”
“No problem.” Zeke shrugs and slings an arm over Jasmine’s shoulders. “We’ll wait here.”
A short time later, we’re on our way home when my cell phone rings.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby.” Caleb’s low, sexy voice sounds in my ear. “Has Zeke gotten there yet?”
“Yeah. We’re on our way home. I was going to call you earlier, but I didn’t want to disturb you. Did you happen to speak to that mechanic about my car?” I hate to bring it up, but I need my car.
“Dad and I had it towed. Darrin’s going to check it from top to bottom for damage and then repaint. It’ll be at least a week, but he’s the best.”
I hate that I have to wait a week. I rely on my car for everything. “I can take the bus for a few days.” I sigh.
“Hell no!” he says vehemently. “I’ll take you where you need to go.”
“You need to work,” I remind him. “If you get called out and aren’t able to get home, I still have to get to work.”
“We’ll figure it out. I don’t want you on a bus.”
“But—”
“Please don’t push this, Gwendolyn.” I know that tone. He’s not happy. “Your car was vandalized. Even though it may just be punk kids being assholes, I’m not taking chances with you. For my peace of mind, no bus.”
Well, how do I refuse that command?
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience.” The last thing Caleb needs is a clingy, needy woman on his hands.
He goes quiet for a second, then says, “You’re anything but an inconvenience. I like spending time with you, whether it be on my couch, in my bed, or riding in my car. This just gives me more time with you.”
